


Two's a company, three's a crowd

by Kaydalen



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Confessions, F/F, Feels, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Jealousy, Teacher-Student Relationship, some Crimson Flower spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 09:21:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20468693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaydalen/pseuds/Kaydalen
Summary: Dorotheas shameless flirting with Byleth puts Edelgard in a bad mood, so she decides to do something about it.





	Two's a company, three's a crowd

**Author's Note:**

> I was getting sidetracked while preparing the draft for the angsty Edeleth fic I still need to finish and the idea was too good to pass up.

Edelgards lips curled into a smile. Her eyes fluttered shut and eagerly she leaned into the touch, the lean fingers drawing lazy circles on the back of her neck, leaving a flaming trail behind. As much as she loved drowning in those deep purple eyes, her desire to simply savour the featherlight touches and caresses usually overwhelmed her quite easily. Her hands grabbed her lovers coat more tightly, tugged on it, secretly yearned for it to come off.

“You like that?“

Byleths throaty voice demanding these sorts of praises from her send shivers down Edelgards spine and her knees grew weak. A hand slid down her waist to pull her in closer, the other combing softly through her hair.

She truly felt like her whole body was on fire.

The young woman couldn't even remember what pleasant turn of events had caused her to end up in this situation. Couldn't tell why her beloved teacher was holding her and planting soft kisses to her cheek, her neck, why she was purring and sighing and arching underneath her touch.

Edelgard couldn't think straight. So she didn't expect to find her answers anytime soon. She wasn't used to losing her composure like that and as much as she loved melting into her teachers touch, her mind was too foggy and too blank for her liking. The control over her emotions had escaped her grasp, her mouth was dry and she nearly had forgotten about the, what she considered rather intimate, question Byleth had breathed into her ear.

“I do, my teacher“, the future Emperor sighed, as her own hands got a hold onto the Professors hips. The warmth literally oozed off of them even through the thick lay of clothes still separating her from the naked skin.

“Then why are you just standing there staring?“

_What?_

Edelgards blood ran cold, she broke out in cold sweat and opened her eyes.

Blinked. The bubble burst.

And she was back right outside the dining hall, casually leaning on one of the railings, basking in the sunlight.

Byleth had slipped from her touch and had teleported back on her small stool besides the pond, gripping a fishing rod instead of her hips and the slender fingers trailing her form returned to being just a faint and weakly fluttering fantasy. All that was left was the cup of tea in her hands trembling noisly on the saucer, dangerously angled sideways so a considerable amount of her beloved Bergamont tea had pooled on mentioned saucer around the bottom of the tea cup.

Edelgard had never considered herself to be one to induldge into things like daydreams, but the sight of her Professor bathing in the bright sunlight, lazily dangling her legs as she patiently awaited the moment a fish would gulp down the bait on the hook of her rod, had caught her quite off guard. Her hair was put up into a ponytail to stop it from blocking her view, but even now some strands were clinging to her glistening and sweaty forehead. She had discarded her heavy coat and now all that remained covering that muscular upper body of hers was a skintight black shirt, complimenting her attractive curves.

It was a sight to behold.

It took her some breathless seconds to fully arrive back in reality and a smugly grinning Dorothea, who had placed one hand on her shoulder and was waving with the other right in front of her nose was very eager to help her with that task.

“Oh, Dorothea“, Edelgard hastily greeted the former songstress, tried to diffuse the situation by acting like she knew exactly what was going on, even though a part of herself already considered this a quite fruitless task. A forced smile was curling her lips. This was beyond embarassing. “So you are still with us, what a relief!“, Dorothea giggled and angled her head curiously to follow her eyes before Edelgard could do anything to stop it. Her grin widened, as she now was ogling the attractive young Professor herself.

“Ah, I see now. I hope you were at least having a good time pining after our dear Professor?“, Dorothea teased the head of her house, who barely managed to conceal the now crimson blush creeping up her cheeks. “Don't be preposterous, I was not pining“, Edelgard weakly tried to defend herself, while in reality her skin was still burning underneath Byleths imaginary fingers, which in return caused the lower part of her stomach to tingle warm und fuzzy, "I was just admiring her ... techniques. I figured I could learn a thing or two.“

Dorothea raised her brows and spared Byleth a second look. Young Flayn had now accompanied her and settled onto the empty stool besides her, was nudging the knee of one of her crossed legs and put on her disappointed face, as the Professor told her something the two young girls couldn't hear.

“Edie, she isn't even doing anything.“

As sweet as the scenery was, Edelgard wouldn't be able to keep up her claim. These feelings she had, these fantasies, these dreams even were still a fairly new sensation. She herself wasn't even sure about what it all meant, maybe it really was just admiration and nothing else. A very distracting kind of admiration, she had to admit. Her gaze was glued to her teachers form during lectures instead of taking notes. She traced her curves at training instead of correcting her own stance and she was drawn to her lips when she talked and laughed during the teatimes she had made a habit of holding quite frequently instead of paying attention.

Or maybe she was simply just crushing on her own teacher.

At first she had tried to fight off this rush of emotions she wasn't used to. Had hoped they would just vanish into thin air if she simply neglected them. They were not only distracting, but even becoming a nuisance. Byleth had occupied her mind and Edelgard didn't come up with a reliable solution yet to get rid of her again. This was not healthy, even interfered with her plans she had sealed shut in the far back of her mind for the time being.

She had to figure this out on her own before things got ouf of hand. So no one could ever know how she felt about the Professor.

“She was actually quite active until you arrived.“ "In your dreams maybe.“ Edelgard felt like she had been caught red-handed and her throat escaped a gasp, "There are no such things!“

Dorothea shot her a knowing glance, smirking. She knew exactly which buttons to push to rile her up. “So you are really not imagining the Professor skinny-dipping in the pond?“ She hadn't, up until now. A different kind of fuzzy feeling was pooling in her lower abdomen instantly at the thought.

_Curse you, Dorothea._

“Of course not, that would be just ... obscene.“ Her finger traced the length of the handle of her teacup. “Have you?“, Edelgard dared to ask, moistened her lips with her tongue which suddenly felt very dry.

"Most certainly!“, Dorothea chimed as a response and the other woman choked on her tea, “Have you seen those abs? Oh, how I wish I could see her butt naked only once.“ Edelgard did and did not expect this kind of answer at the same time. In a way, she could agree with her, even if she would never admit it, but she already nearly passed out just observing her muscles work underneath her shirt, how would she survive taking a glance at her naked form?

The head of the house felt very hot and started to sweat. Maybe she should get out of the sunlight.

Sheepishly she avoided meeting Dorotheas gaze and again shot her teacher a quick glance. Apparently Byleth had managed to catch something – something big even – and was fighting with whatever had taken her bait and was now struggling to gain back its freedom. Flayn cheered her on from the sidelines, until the fishing line suddenly snapped. Caught off guard the Professor tumbled, lost her footing and crashed headfirst into the water, probably scaring any potential prey away.

Edelgard couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, smile softly as Byleth came back up for air and pushed wet strands of hair out of her pretty pouty face

Her heart threatened to burst with all that affection building up inside.

“Looking good, Professor!“, Dorothea suddenly chimed, bounced on the spot and desperately tried to gain her teachers attention. Edelgards eyes widened in horror. She was not ready to-

But it was too late.

Byleth turned her head and scanned her environment until her eyes found them and a smile curled her lips as she raised her hand in a silent greeting, before pushing her lean body out of the water by the dock. The future Emperor had to scrape together all of her remaining self control not to drool at the sight. It was like the goddess herself had descended to meet them mortals.

Edelgard silently _begged _Dorothea wouldn't pick up the conversation where the both of them had ended it. This thing about wanting to admire the Professors naked body. She wouldn't be able to handle this kind of embarassment.

The smile of Byleths lips grew wider as she approached the two girls, right after seeing off Flayn who was eagerly carrying a barely full bucket of fish the Professor actually manage to catch back to the dining hall.

For a split second her eyes locked with Edelgards, who withstood her grace for a short while before faltering.

It was getting _really _hot out here.

“You guys hungry?“, Byleth simply asked, clueless of the shameless chatter the two of them had been engaged in until now. A puddle of water was pooling at her feet while the water was dripping off her form. Suddenly the future Emperor wondered if she would approve of this kind of attention or be embarassed by it. “I caught lots of fish today.“ Before her mind could come up with a suitable response, Dorothea snatched the Professors naked arm.

“Oh yes, I am starving!“, the former songstress proclaimed and she could have sworn catching Byleths cheek turning a darker shade of pink as she eyed her student clinging to the crook of her elbow with an affectionate expression. „Shall we dine together, Professor?“, she purred. A quiet voice in the back of Edelgards head wished for her to decline the offer. She couldn't baer the thought of Dorothea having Byleths undivided attention. But the goddess didn't grant her her wish.

“I would love to.“

_Look at me, please._

And she did. For a moment their gazes connected, a sheepish look on the Professors face. “Would you care to join us?“ Edelgards heart fluttered against her chest like an imprisoned bird. The tea cup of hers she had nearly forgotten about was clattering noisly against the saucer again as her hands started to shake.

That lovestruck part of her longed for it, longed for linking their fingers together, snuggling in close just like Dorothea had demonstrated, awaiting her touch. But that other, the levelheaded and reasonable part of her scolded her for having these kinds of fantasies again. It was not appropriate, it was -

“Oh and I thought it would just be the two of us.“ The pout resting on Dorotheas face was strangely attractive, “Like a date!“ “A date?“ Confusion took over Byleths features. She was just as clueless about anything concerning human relations as she was brilliant on the battlefield. Then again the Ashen Demon suddenly seemed flustered.

“Come on, it will be fun, lets leave Edie here to her tea.“ “Is that really alright with you, Edelgard?“ Her teachers voice calling her name caused her cheeks to tingle. That clam feeling nestling in her lower abdomen grew larger in size and intensity. “O-of course, don't let me keep you“, she managed to answer, “I was just leaving anyway. Maybe another time.“

_I would love to join you. But I want you all to myself._

As Dorothea and Byleth finally left with their course set on the dining hall, the future Emperor chucked down that miserably small puddle of tea left in her cup, suddenly wishing it was alcohol.

Edelgard would have described the following days and weeks as pure torture. She did not know what exactly had happened to Dorothea that day at the pond, but it felt like someone had flipped a switch. She had already been bubbly and quirky and a shamless flirt before, but this fragment of her personality unfolding and blooming before her was beyond compare.

Byleth and Dorothea only ever came in a pair. They sat together at lunch, chose to spend their free time bathing in the sunlight in the courtyard and when Edelgard arrived at the classroom in the morning, tired and moody, the former songstress was already there, giggling and chuckling like a giddy schoolgirl while she leaned against her teachers desk almost seductively.

Edelgard was in a bad mood.

Dorothea and her were friends and usually spend a lot of time together, but since this chain of incidents the future Emperor had decided to avoid her. Her friend must have noticed how she always backed out of the room when she saw Dorothea already being there. How she refused to greet her when they met at lunch, did not grant her any mercy at training and declined all of her invites to tea time. But even if it had occured to her that something was not right, she didn't call her out for it. She simply decided to keep a reasonable distance to avoid becoming the target of her moodswings again.

She hadn't been able to place a finger on it why she was that irritated. She didn't even mean to treat her classmate the way she did, but she feared that otherwise she would slip up. Spill her emotions, lose her composure, lose control. There was no worse feeling than losing control.

Edelgard managed to endure Byleths and Dorotheas lovey-dovey for so long, until she learned from a distressed Bernadetta that the Professor had offered her favorite student private lessons she was supposed to take late in the evening, while everyone else had already retired to their quarters.

That was the exact moment when it hit her like a shieldbash to the back of the head.

_Jealousy,_

Edelgard was madly jealous. Jealous about the close relationship the both of them had.

She was jealous about Byleth spending this large amount of time with Dorothea.

She was jealous about the way she smiled, when Dorothea closed the distance between them to take ahold of her arm.

She was jealous about them leaving together to catch some food and frustrating of herself being left behind.

One single thought kept pounding in the back of her head; Why her and not me?

_Because you never found the courage to tell her, _a sinister voice whispered and as much as the future Emperor tried to silence it it, she couldn't help but find truth in this words that had arisen from deep within her heart. She had denied her feelings for too long. Had drowned in precious but empty fantasies, fully aware the pictures and sensations would crumble to dust as soon as she opened up her eyes again and emerged back into reality.

It wasn't enough anymore. She wanted the real thing. _She wanted Byleth. _

Screw the consequences.

Screw the risks.

She soon would be the Emperor of the Adrestian Empire, she took heavy risks every day forging out plans behind the scenes. She risked being caught everytime she vanished out of the dormitory in the middle of the night, with Hubert lurking behind her in the shadows to watch her, keep her enemies at bay.

She risked become the target of her teachers hate everytime she put on the Flame Emperors armor.

If she never even managed to find the courage to tell Byleth that she liked – no, that she _loved her_ – how would she ever be able to shoulder the burden of being an Emperor?

Edelgard was ready. She had collected her thoughts. She had made her decision. There was no room for doubts.

She left her dormitory and closed the door behind. Most of the students had already retired back to their rooms. Twilight was upon the monastery. The stars were out and the breeze was comfortably chilly. The future Emperor spotted Hubert hiding in the shadows, always keeping a close eye, but this time she just silently shook her head in refusal. She had to do this alone. She didn't want her closest friend to see her open up like that.

Without doubting her and her decision he retreated and was swallowed by the darkness surrounding them. Edelgard ordered her legs to move and didn't allow herself to stop before she reached the Black Eagles classroom. She was well aware the Professor was usually working until nighttime – the dark circles underneath her eyes were proof of it. She had an inkling she would find her here and it seemed like she wasn't wrong. Warm light emerging from within the room cut the darkness open.

Even though she had chosen to go through with this and didn't waver, her hands were shaking as she pushed open the door. She took a deep breath, but choked almost immediately on the words her lips had started to form as she laid eyes on the situation unfolding before her.

The lump in her throat and abdomen, that had been growing for weeks now, had reached a size that stirred his undeniable fear in her it would soon simply consume her from within.

Byleth was there, but she was not alone. Dorothea accompanied her, nestling inbetween the Professors straddled legs who sat on top of her desk. As intimate as the position was, the former songstress kept a reasonable distance to the older womans face, which was clouded with worry as they were mumbling quiet words Edelgard wasn't able to hear.

Startled both of them ended their private conversations and the future Emperor even watched Byleth flinch in surprise, as her face however turned to something like a dark shade of grey.

For a few moments the three girls just stared at each other in uncomfortable silence. The right thing to do would have been to excuse herself, close the door and just return to her room to cry herself to sleep. But there was no room to retreat. She made up her mind and now she wouldn't stop before she had gotten it all out of her system.

Her heart seemed to be beating in the back of her throat and she felt dizzy.

"Edie, what-“

Edelgard didn't let her finish. Determined she stormed forward, her eyes set on her goal. Her hand reached out, past Dorotheas slender form, got a tight hold of the collar of her teachers coat and pulled her down to her into a kiss. Before she arrived here she had never imagined herself to be this straight forward, to be this blunt and stupid and brave at the same time, but as her lips met the ones of her Professor she knew she had made the right choice.

She had dreamed of this moment for so long, but the reality exceeded all of her expectations.

Dorothea excitedly chimed something inaudible for her, she didn't pay her any attention, her whole mind and body were focused on Byleth, who first gasped in surprise against her mouth and then gave in to the kiss. Edelgards head was spinning, her cheeks burning and as much as she wanted to take a glance at her teachers eyes, see her reaction, the desire to continue to kiss her was much bigger.

Byleth was finally the one who broke the tension, broke the kiss, as she placed her hands on Edelgards chest and gently pushed her away. As both of them opened their eyes again they were out of breath, both of their faces flushed.

Edelgard couldn't help but feel a weird sense of pride about how she had managed to make the Professor squirm underneath her touch.

_It is love. _

Was the first thing that crossed Edelgards mind as she covered her mouth with her hand, brushed over the spot where Byleths lips had been just a second ago.

“I guess I will be leaving for today“, Dorothea stated, a smug grin resting on her lips, as she put some distance between her and the couple, which was just awkwardly staring at each other, "Good night, Professor. Good night, Edie.“ Neither of them dared to say a word before she had left the room.

Silence filled the space between them.

Byleth was the one who managed to find her voice again first. She cleared her throat. "Edelgard, i don't know what to-“

“I love you.“

She said it. Bluntly. Not very romantically or sweetly, quite harshly even; it just wasn't her strong suit. She had forced these feelings to stay underneath a lid for so long, they were already boiling over. And she felt like they would incinerate her from within if she didn't give the fire room to breath right here and now.

That lump in her abdomen was slowly falling apart.

Edelgard didn't give the Professor any time to respond. “There is no need to response right away, my teacher. Just hear me out, please. I have been attracted to you for quite some time now.“

She avoided her teachers eyes and focused the wall behind her face instead. She couldn't risk her getting distracted.

“I didn't quite manage to … figure out what this meant. For me. For this friendship we share that I am really grateful for. And ever since I have seen you being this close to Dorothea, I couldn't help but worry.“

Edelgard kneated her hands, as she was browsing her head for the right words to voice the emotions she had kept hidden.

“You were jealous.“ It was a surprised statement, not a question, but the future Emperor still felt the need to answer.

“I indeed have been … feeling some sort of jealousy. And I figured I had grown beyond having a simple crush on my teacher. I …“ She didn't dare to repeat those three words that had escaped her earlier in the heat of the moment. “I feared if I didn't tell you soon, that you would find your happiness with someone else. I couldn't bear the thought.“

Edelgard laid all of her hearts interior, all her feelings, bare infront of her Professor. She felt fragile, but still in control. She was leading this conversation, this was what gave her the strength to carry on.

“But I realize now that my demeanour was inapproriate“, she confessed, „I shouldn't stand in the way of your love for Dorothea, if that is what you truly desire. But I wanted you to know that what I feel about you is real. I am sorry I interrupted your private moment and I am deeply sorry I kissed you without your consent. I will see that I apologize to Dorothea as well.“

Edelgard felt good. Free. Relieved. But also kind of empty. Scared even.

Byleths fingers brushed her chin and she flinched at the touch. Gently the Professor angled her face towards her and a loving smile was curling her lips, her cheeks still glowing bright red. She could literally see the steam coming out of her ears.

"There is nothing to feel sorry for“, the Professor assured her and the future Emperor feared to get lost within these eyes of hers that were as deep as the ocean, “Dorothea and I are just friends.“ “But-“

“Dorothea is quite clingy by nature and I was feeling very comfortable having her around. She has been … a great help. I had to sort out a lot of things.“

Now it was Edelgards turn to blush. “M-my apologies!“, she stammered and for some reason felt the urge to escape her Professors grasp, “I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that, I made an utter fool of myself!“

“No, you didn't“, Byleth chuckled, which was such a rare noise to draw from her, “You were pretty cute. Very blunt, but cute.“

Indignantly Edelgard ruffled her feathers. “I am not-“

The Professor cut her off by muffling her words with a kiss, swallowed the students rant. The smaller woman was caught by surprise, her legs suddenly felt very weak and she had to hold onto the knees of the one caressing her so they wouldn't give out from underneath her. An arm circled around her waist to support her and pull her in closer. Soon her whole face was on fire and she couldn't help but part her lips invitingly to deepen the kiss. A quiet moan escaped her, as she was drowning in the sensation. Desire pooled in her lower abdomen where the uncomfortable lump had been.

It was just like in her dreams that had been distracting her and keeping her up at night. The Professor holding her close, kissing her, nibbling on her lower lip and pressing soft kisses to her jar, as Edelgards body arched and squirmed beneath her touch. But this time it was real. And the warmth of her body wouldn't just disappear as soon as she dared to blink.

“I have been very conflicted, you know“, Byleth confessed as she pulled away to gasp for air, “I didn't know if it would be … appropriate to be this intimate with a student. I am still your Professor.“

“You are barely older than me, my teacher.“

“I know, I just ...“, it was not like her to be at a loss for words. "I really wanted to confess to you. But I didn't want to feel like I am pressuring you into something you don't want. I didn't want to take advantage of you. Of my position.“

“I am my own person, no one is taking any advantage of me“, Edelgard assured her.

“So I am really glad that you did what you did earlier“, Byleth whispered, a sheepish smile resting on her lips as she cupped the future Emperors cheek who leaned into the touch, “Because now I can finally do ... this without feeling bad.“

Her fingers ran up the length of her spine and Edelgard shivered.

“Say it“, she demanded and got a hold of Byleths collar again, their eyes locking, “I dare you to tell me how you feel.“

The tension resting between them was almost tangible as the Professor rested her forehead against Edelgards. Her gaze was soft, full of emotions, tears forming in her eyes as her lips parted again and she let the words her student had wanted to hear for so long fall from her lips:

“I love you, Edelgard. Only you.“

Dorothea was resting comfortably against the wall besides the window to the Black Eagles classroom. Quite pleased with herself her lips curled to a smug smirk as she watched Edelgard and the Professor embrace each other, Edelgards head nuzzling in the crook of her neck. The former songstress wasn't able to recall the last time she had the young woman seen so visibly comfortable and content.

Her work here was done. The amount of stamina and self control the both of them had invested into _not _confessing to each other was impressive. What both of them had needed was just a little nudge in the right direction and some teasing here and there. Jealousy was a really strong emotion after all. She had calculated Edelgard would make her move as soon as she found something slipping from her she desperately tried to keep close. For someone who was this easy to read, this woman really liked to be in control of every situation she found herself in. If she hadn't mustered the courage, this would have been a lost cause, because Byleth had been too dense to even realize what was going on for the longest time.

Dorothea finally averted the gaze of the two lovers to give them some privacy and stepped away from the window. Things would go smoothly from here on out, she was sure of it, they didn't need her help any longer.

"Take good care of her, Professor.“

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry my fluff sucks, I'm more into angst, I just really needed to get this out of my system.


End file.
